Cargo-supporting floor structure



1968 J. L. GIOVANNUCCI CARGO-SUPPORTING FLOOR STRUCTURE Filed Dec. 8, 1965 FIG. 1

FIG. 2

FIG. 4

INVENTOR Julius L. Giovunnucci 5...; M migawa...

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,412,514 CARGO-SUPPORTING FLOOR STRUCTURE Julius L. Giovannucci, Rome, N.Y., assignor to Revere Copper and Brass Incorporated, Rome, N.Y., a corporation of Maryland Filed Dec. 8, 1965, Ser. No. 512,352 1 Claim. (Cl. 52-480) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A cargo-supporting floor above the level of a base floor is provided by extruded vertical supporting elements each having a vertical body portion and a lower downwardly projecting forked portion for engaging the adjacent upstanding side portions of proximate base elements of the floor.

This invention relates to cargo-supporting floor structures and, more particularly, to a cargo-supporting floor for refrigerated vehicles.

There have been proposed heretofore a variety of cargosupporting floors, particularly for vehicles, which provide a raised supporting level under which refrigerated air can be circulated. Such structures are represented by the United States patents to Constance No. 2,786,556, Black No. 2,923,384, Weiler No. 2,952,341 and Thurman No. 3,368,315. Each of these structures has the capability of being extruded and thus are of particularly economical design. However, there is a further need, generally, of cross-circulation through the upstanding portions of these prior floor structures, and it has been found difficult to cut the necessary openings in the extruded shapes because of the close proximity of the upstanding portions to one another.

I have now devised a cargo-supporting floor structure the upstanding portions of which can be extruded and which can be cut to provide cross-ventilation openings prior to assembly with base element portions to form the desired cargo-supporting floor structure. The fioor structure of the present invention comprises a plurality of horizontal base elements each having a substantially fiat body portion and upstanding side portions, and a plurality of vertical supporting elements each having a central body portion the lower end of which terminates in a downwardly projecting forked portion adapted to receive the adjacent upstanding side portions of proximate base elements and the upper end of which is adapted to support cargo.

These and other novel features of the cargo-supporting floor structure of the invention will be more readily understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which FIG. 1 is an end elevation, partly in section, of one modification of the cargo-supporting floor structure of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an end elevation, partly in section, of another modification of the floor structure of their invention; and

FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 are partial end elevations of further modifications of the vertical supporting element of my novel structure.

As shown in FIG. 1, the cargo-Supporting floor structure of the invention comprises a plurality of horizontal base elements each having a substantially fiat body portion and upstanding side portions 11 and a plurality of vertical supporting elements each having a central body portion 12 the lower end of which terminates in a downwardly projecting forked portion 13 adapted to receive 3,412,514 Patented Nov. 26, 1968 the adjacent upstanding side portions 11 of proximate base elements. The flat body portions 10 of the horizontal base elements are adapted to be secured to a primary floor structure 14 by any conventional means if desired.

The upper end of each vertical supporting element is adapted to support cargo. In the modification shown in FIG. 1, the upper end of the vertical supporting element is provided with a horizontal flange 15 which provides horizontally spaced floor supports for cargo. In the modification shown in FIG. 2, the upper end of the vertical supporting element is provided with an upwardly projecting forked portion 16 similar to that at its lower end and adapted to receive the side portions 11 of additional base elements which have been inverted to form a full cargosupporting floor. Or, as shown in FIG. 3, the upwardly projecting forked portion 16 at the upper end of the vertical supporting elements can be used to receive the central body portion 17 of a T-shaped cargo-supporting flange 18.

Each of the modifications of the vertical supporting elements of the cargo-supporting floor structure shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 can be readily formed by conventional extrusion technique and can thereafter be cut or punched to provide cross-circulation openings 19 in the central body portion 12. In the modification shown in FIG. 4, however, the vertical supporting element is formed of two separate roll-formed, extruded or stamped body portions 20 and 21 having mirror-image configuration such as to form a central body portion 12 and forked lower and upper portions 13 and 16, respectively, when the two body portions are secured together by a fastener 22 or by welding, or the like. In all instances, it has been found most economical to form the horizontal base elements by roll-forming of sheet material. The extruded portions of my novel cargo-supporting floor structure are advantageously, but not necessarily, made of aluminum alloys suitable for this purpose. The roll-formed portions of my floor structure can be made of any metal having the specific application requirements of strength, corrosion resistance, ease of cleaning, etc. Thus, by choosing an appropriate modification of my novel structure, the materials of construction are virtually unlimited.

In all modifications of the cargo-supporting floor structure shown herein, the various adjacent parts can be secured, if desired, by conventional adhesive, pop rivets, spot welding, or the like. The floor structure is therefore capable of being pre-assembled or assembled in situ. In either event, it has been found advantageous to provide the outermost horizontal base elements with an extended height side portion 11a so that the entire floor assembly can be secured to the sides 23 of the vehicle and without any fastenings through the floor, In addition, the cargosupporting vertical elements can be reinforced wherever desired by a hollow contoured insert 24 such as that shown in the copending application Charles W. Young, Ser. No. 493,092, filed Oct. 5, 1965. Further stress-absorbing ability can be imparted to the vertical supporting elements by providing the lower extremities of the downwardly extending forked portions with feet 25 advantageously contoured, as shown in FIG. 5, to fit the junction of the upstanding side portions 11 and central body portion 10 of the base elements.

I claim:

1. A cargo-supporting fioor adapted to support a cargo above the level of a base floor of a vehicle having such a base floor and side walls and comprising (a) a plurality of horizontal metal base elements extending over the base floor of the vehicle, each base 3 4 element having a substantially fiat body portion and References Cited sulgstantially flat-surfaced upstanding side portions, UNITED STATES PATENTS an (b) a plurality of extruded metal vertical supporting 1,350,349 8/1920 Walther 52480 XR elements each having a central body portion the lower 5 21034O7 12/ 1937 Dean XR end of which terminates in a downwardly projecting 2923384 2/1960 Black 52 '588 forked portion having substantially fiat-surfaced FOREIGN PATENTS straight interior side walls receiving therebetween and 770,010 6/1934 France.

matingly engaging the adjacent upstanding side portions of each of the proximate base elements along 10 FRANK L. ABBOTT P E substantially the full height of each upstanding side i m y m we portion, the upper end of each vertical supporting PAW, Ass'stant Examinerelement being adapted to support cargo. 

